


Nothing Would Make Me Happier

by Flavius



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi | Fire Emblem: Binding Blade, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: "Ugh! Another Keaton crackship?", Christmas, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Gifts, Keaton is STILL a good boy!, Light Angst, Merry Christmas! :), Winter Festival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27928126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flavius/pseuds/Flavius
Summary: The Winter Festival is coming and Keaton grows interested in celebrating the holidays. He asks Cecilia for help and she is more than happy to.
Relationships: Cecilia/Flannel | Keaton
Kudos: 4





	Nothing Would Make Me Happier

Keaton roams around Askr and is noticing peculiar decorations being put up. Other heroes in the castle are being lively. Some even are singing songs and dancing. Keaton knows that heroes who arrive in Askr tend to become more joyous thanks to the Order of Heroes’ hospitality. However, the bright atmosphere seemed even more prominent than it usually is. Keaton scratches the fur on his head, pondering why everyone is so happy.

He notices that the commander as well as self proclaimed business expert, Anna is around. He decides to approach her and ask her what all the activity is about.

“Hey, Anna!”

“Oh hey, Keaton! Sorry, but I don’t have any treasures on sale for you at the moment.”

“No, no, no. That’s not why I came to talk to you.” Keaton folds his arms in frustration. “I just wanted to ask you what’s going on?”

“I’m not entirely sure what you're asking?” Anna looks at Keaton with confusion.

“Oh, come on! Y’know! The flashy decorations, the bright lights, the singing. What’s it all about?”

Anna can’t help but chuckle. “Hahaha! Really!? It’s Christmas of course, silly! The most wonderful time of year! Especially for an expert business woman like me.” Anna placed her finger on her chin and winked.

“... C-Christ… mas?...”

Anna takes herself back for a moment. “Oh… have you… never heard of Christmas before?...”

“No...” Keaton looked annoyed by Anna’s pitiful look towards him.

“I guess I shouldn’t have expected you to have known. This is your first year here in Askr after all. Anyway, it’s a major holiday season here. All these decorations we’re setting up are for our big Winter Festival coming up.” Anna says with a happy look on her face to gain interest within Wolfskin.

It works and Keaton starts growing more curious about this major occasion. “So, uh… This whole Christmas thing sounds pretty interesting. You mind telling me more about it?” Says Keaton trying to hide his excitement.

“I wish I could Keaton, but I am really busy. I need to make sure everything is in tip top shape. Profits take time and effort... and I like my profits.”

“Oh… r-right… you’re right. I’m probably not cut out for this whole Christmas thing anyway. Human holidays aren’t really my thing...” Keaton directs his eyes away from Anna to hide his disappointment.

“It’s not really a human holiday. Anybody can celebrate. Human or beast. I would tell you more, but frankly I don’t know where to start. I think you should talk to someone who knows a lot about the Winter Festival.” Anna breaks for a moment as the light bulb in her head clicks on. “Hey, I know just the person you can talk to.”

Keaton quickly snaps his head back, looking at Anna. “Huh? You do? Who?”

“Cecilia! She loves teaching people about new things. Plus she just so happened to have participated in the Winter Festival before.”

Keaton looks away again. “Cecilia, huh? Well she never mentioned this Christmas thing to me. Maybe she felt it wasn’t worth it?” There was negativity in his voice.

“Just ask her. What’s the worst she can say, no? Plus I highly doubt that. She loves teaching others, especially you.” Anna cheekily teases Keaton.

Keaton quietly growls at her tone. “I don’t know what you're talking about. But… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask… Alright, I will! Besides, you need to get back to work, or else someone might try to steal your customers.” Keaton teases her back.

“Ha! I am commander here! Nobody! Not even one of my sisters can outsell me here in Askr!” Anna leaves in a hurry.

Keaton laughs to himself for a bit. “Hehe, she does actually have a point though. Maybe I should see what this whole ‘Christmas’ thing is all about.” He walks off to Cecilia’s room with some pep in his step.

Cecilia was sitting at her desk taking tactical notes. The Order of Heroes heavily rely on tacticians like her to keep them prepared for any future battles they may face. Her concentration is broken when she hears a knock on her door.

“Hey, Cecilia! It’s me, Keaton! Can I come in!?”

“Of course, Keaton. You’re more than welcome.”

Keaton enters her room with some eagerness on his face as well as his tail.

Cecilia smiles. “Did something exciting happen today? Did you find an extraordinary treasure to show me?”

Keaton shakes his head. “No! No! I… actually got a question… what’s… Christmas?...”

Her eyes opened for a moment. “Oh. Have I never told you anything about the Winter Festival that is coming up. I apologize, Keaton.”

He titled his head and scratched his fur. “A festival?... Oh, like that Harvest Festival we had only a couple months ago?...”

She nodded her head. “Yes, Keaton. However this festival focuses on a different holiday. That being Christmas. It is a wonderful holiday. My favorite actually.” She smiled.

Keaton’s tail started to wag a little. “Oh. Must be a good holiday, huh? But… what is it like?...”

Cecilia stood up from her desk. “Come, Keaton. Let me show you something.” She walks him over to her closet where her Winter Festival attire is hanging. There it was in its red and white glory. “This is the outfit I wear for the festival. I was asked by the Order of Heroes to be a teacher for this holiday and they had the tailors here create this attire for me. It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

Keaton walked up to the outfit. “Can… I feel it?...”

“Sure you can.” She nodded and smiled.

He took off his right glove and rubbed his hand against the different fabrics. He stroked his finger against the white, fluffy parts. “It’s… really soft…”

“This time of year has crisp and cold weather. The materials used are perfect for keeping you warm.”

Keaton’s ears perk up. “Oh, like my fur? My home can get really cold, so Wolfskin having lots of soft fur helps.”

She laughed a little bit. “Yes, I suppose it is like fur.”

Keaton continued to snoop around a little when he saw a boot filled with gifts on the ground. He picks it up. “What’s this?”

“Oh, that’s another part of my attire Keaton. I carry around a boot with gifts inside to hand out the heroes. A… ‘goodie boot’ if you will.” She lightly laughed.

Keaton stared at the boot. The gears in his head are turning. “So… you give gifts during this holiday. Hmmm… Hey! Why don’t I give some of my treasures out as gifts!? That’d be cool, right? I can even get a neat get up like you.”

Her eyes opened wide from the sudden excitement. She looked over to see that his tail was wagging swiftly behind him. “You really want to do this? You’ve only known about Christmas since today.”

He nodded his head eagerly. “Yeah! Yeah! C’mon, please! I promise I’ll do a good job… And! And!… I’ll let you help me!… Please…” He looked at her with big, puppy dog eyes.

She stared into them and her smile creeped from ear to ear. “Okay, Keaton. I will do what I can to get you ready for the festival.”

“Awesome! Thanks a bunch, Cecilia! I’ll do great, you’ll see!”

Some time has passed and the Winter Festival is fast approaching. Cecilia has been in contact with the tailors of Askr to prepare an outfit for Keaton for the festival. Keaton himself had prepared some of his treasures to give out as gifts. Things such as bat wings, shedded snake skins, rusted flower pots, and so much more. He had gotten himself a sac to throw all his presents in there to give out during the festival. Keaton makes his way to Cecilia’s room with the present filled sac.

He knocks on the door. “Cecilia, I’m here!”

She opens the door with a smile and wearing her festive attire. “Keaton, glad you’re here and in such high spirits too.”

Keaton’s face grew a bit rosy and his tail starts wagging. “Well, I mean. The Winter Festival is today, isn’t it?… Sure I’m excited!”

Cecilia nods. “Of course. The Winter Festival is an exciting event. Nothing to be ashamed of. On another note, Keaton. I got your outfit.”

It was a shirt and vest similar to the one that Keaton was wearing currently. However the shirt was red and the vest had a light touch of dark green. Along with it was a fluffy red and white cape and a hat to compliment it. Keaton looked at the outfit with awe.

“Shall you try it on, Keaton?”

Keaton began to blush a bit harder. “R-right now?... While you’re… in here?...”

She couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “Of course not, Keaton. I’ll be just outside until you are finished.”

“O-Oh right… erm… I’ll try to get changed as fast as I can...” He looked away as the red stayed on his cheeks.

“No need to rush, Keaton. Take all the time you need.” She left the room leaving Keaton to himself.

He begins to strip himself down of his clothes and replaces them with the more festive attire. After putting on his shirt and vest, he wraps himself in the cape and ties it around his neck. Finally he places the hat on top of his head. At least the best he could considering all the fur that was in the way. He opens to the door to let Cecilia back in. “I’m done…”

She walks back into the room to see Keaton in his new get up. She gave him a warm smile. “You look very handsome.”

His cheeks turned pink again. “Uh… thanks…”. He looked off to the side.

She continues to smile until she notices something off. “Keaton… the top buttons of your shirt aren’t buttoned.”

“So?... This is how I normally wear my shirts…” He pouted a little.

She shook her head. “I understand Keaton, but it’ll be cold outside. Besides, there’s one more piece to this outfit that needs to be put on and all the buttons need to be buttoned for it.”

“Fine…” He grumbled a bit as he buttoned up all the way. His chest no longer being exposed. “There, better?...”

“Much better.” She went to her desk and grabbed something. She came up to Keaton and started messing with his collar.

He tensed up a bit and his cheeks glowed red. “C-Cecilia… what’re you doing?...”

“Putting on the finishing touch.” A ringing sound was made when she finished tying a bell around Keaton’s neck. “There we go. Now you’re all set.”

He looked down and played a little with the bell. His tail started to wag a bit. “Well… I guess we’re ready to go then?...”

She nodded. “Yes, we shall be on our way.”

Keaton grabbed the sac and Cecilia grabbed her boot. Both filled with gifts. Cecilia started to lead the way when Keaton stopped in his tracks.”

“You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

She did what he suggested was making her way out of the room.

Keaton reached into the sac and left a present underneath the bed. He quickly caught up to her and both of them were on their way.

The cold winter air did not stop the sheer brightness and excitement that was being had at the Winter Festival. All of the preparation that was made was for this moment. Heroes all over Askr were attending the festival this year. Ready to partake in all the joy this time of year brings.

Keaton and Cecilia arrive. The Wolfskin’s eyes were filled with such awe and wonder. His tail began wagging so swiftly. He couldn’t contain his excitement as he let out a light howl. “Awooo! This place is great Cecilia! Look at all this stuff.”

Her smile was so big. The excitement welled up inside her too. “The heroes here really outdid themselves with all the prep. This might just be the best Winter Festival yet.”

The two of them kept roaming around. They received compliments from how well dressed they were. Keaton of course being bashful with every compliment he got.

“Hey, Cecilia. When do we give out gifts?”

“Well, we can give out gifts anytime that we want. Do you want to do that now?”

His tail began rapidly wagging again. “Yeah! Yeah! I have so many great treasures to give out!”

She smiled. “Alright, Keaton. Let’s give out some of these gifts.”

The two of them separated for a bit as they each gave out their own share of presents. Keaton in particular was on a roll. Going up to every hero that he saw and giving them one of his prized treasures. He tried playing it cool, but there was no way he could hide his excitement was that tail of his. He was so happy giving out all of these wonderful gifts to everyone.

He decides to take a break and he sees Cecilia outside of Anna’s shop. “Hey, how’d you do with gifts?”

She shows her goodie boot which was completely empty.

His eyes opened wide. “Woah!? All of them? Gee, I haven’t finished giving out mine yet…”

“Well, I didn’t have nearly as many as you did.” She lightly patted his head.

He blushed a bit from the head pats. “Say, what’re you doing here at Anna’s shop?”

“I wanted to thank her for all that she’s done. Without her and the other Order of Heroes, this festival wouldn’t happen.”

“Oh! We can thank her together. Let’s go inside.”

Both of them enter the shop and are greeted with a smiling Anna. “Well, look at you too. You both look amazing in those outfits.”

“Thanks, Anna.” Cecilia smiled as Keaton rubbed the back of his neck with a small blush. “We decided to stop by to say thank you for all that you have done for the festival. It really is magnificent this year. Isn’t that right, Keaton.”

Keaton nodded his head. “Erm… yeah! It really is amazing!...”

“Oh, no biggie. This time of year is really special to me, so it doesn’t feel like work at all.”

Keaton glanced over at Anna and smiled when he nose caught something. He looked over the counter to see a whole batch of treasures. He jumped over the counter to see.

“W-Wait! Keaton! Don’t!…” She tried to stop him but to no avail.

“Woah! Look at all this amazing stuff!” He had a smile that reached from ear to ear and his tail was wagging back and forth swiftly. He rummaged through the pile admiring every that was in it.

“There’s so many amazing treasures here! Just look at these bat wings! Oh! And this squirrel skull! And! And this spool of spider… webbing… and this… rusted… pot… lid…”

His excitement quickly faded away. He looked and sniffed some of the treasures. “These… are all the treasures I gave out as gifts…” He looked over at Anna who was standing there silently. “Erm… w-where did you get all of this?…”

She looked for a bit trying to muster up the right words. “Those are the gifts that people dropped off here.”

His ears fell down as he just stared at his treasures. “Dropped off?” He tried to put a smile. “O-Oh!... Like… gifts people wanted to keep safe for now, right? That must be it!...” He looked at Anna who turned her head away. “That’s what it means… r-right?...”

Anna shook her head. “Keaton… those are gifts people wanted to... return…”

He lowered his head and his ears went along with him. “No one… wanted my treasures…”

She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Keaton…” She walked off into the back of the shop.

Keaton was frozen in his place. He held on to himself as he lowered his head. His ears and tail were falling towards the ground. He looked like a puppy that had gotten kicked and tossed aside.

Cecilia walked up to him. “Keaton… I… I am sorry that this happened…”

He cuts her off as he looks at her with the saddest eyes anyone could ever see. “I-I… just wanna go home…”

She nods. “Okay, Keaton… I’ll take you back…”

“No… no… I’ll go back myself… enjoy your Christmas, alright?…”

“But, Keaton… wouldn’t it be better if someone went back wit-”

“I said I’ll go back myself!” 

His ears fell back down as he shifted his eyes off to the side.

Cecilia closed hers and faced away from him. “Okay, Keaton… if that is what you wish, then I won’t stop you…”

“Cecilia, I… I’m sorry…”

“Me too, Keaton…”

She walked away and left Keaton to go back to his room by himself. He gathered the treasures and placed it back into his sac. He left the shop and as he closed the door, he got a bit choked up. A couple of tears began to form at the base of his eyes as small whimpers escaped him. He sniffled his nose a bit.

“I-I just need to get back to my room…” He begins to walk through the snowy path back to the castle. The wind starts to pick up in intensity. The sound whistled in Keaton’s ears. Chills spread through his body as he felt the cold hit against his body. He looked up to see that he had no idea where he was. His vision was blurry and the sounds were overwhelming him.

“W-Where am I?...” He drops the sac and holds on to himself as he starts to shiver. “Did I really get myself lost?...” He looked around and all he could see were patches of white and a blurred image of the wintry sky.

He goes down and he slams his arm on the ground. “I’m so stupid!… I can’t do anything right…” His face became drenched with tears as he began sobbing. He stayed there. Frozen as the wind and snow bombard him. He was lost...

He was alone…

...

“Keaton?…”

His ears lightly perk up when he hears his name. He jumps a little when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around and sees a hazed image of red and green. He sniffles a little and he catches a scent. One that’s all too familiar to him.

“I… thought I told you to enjoy your Christmas… Cecilia…”

She looks at him with a compassionate smile. “Well… how can I do that when you are not there with me.” She extends her hand to lift up the Wolfskin off the ground. She embraces him as he stands up. He shivers in her arms.

“You’re cold, Keaton. Come now. We should take you to my room. You need to warm up.”

All he does is nod as he continues to hold on to her. He doesn’t object to it in the slightest. Both of them slowly walk back to the castle.

After some time, the two of them make it to Cecilia’s room. Cecilia has him sit on her bed as she wraps a blanket around him. His treasures were set off to the side.

“Would you like some tea, Keaton? I’ll make sure it is sweet enough for you.”

He nods to her. She pours him a cup of tea and warms it up with the help of a little fire magic. She hands it to him and he takes a small sip of it. “It’s… good… t-thanks…”

She lightly smiles. “You’re welcome.”

He glances over her very briefly only to stare at the cup of tea. “W-Why… did you come looking for me?...”

“I was deeply worried about you, Keaton. It’s not safe for anyone to go back by themselves.” Her smile faded away. “I… never should have agreed to let you go alone…”

He grips on to the cup of tea. “Why? You think I couldn’t do it? You think I’m some kind of pup who can’t do anything right!?...” His ears flatten and he lets out a long, deep sigh.

She sat there silently for a bit. “I apologize if that is how I make you feel, Keaton. However, that isn’t how I view you at all. I just… know that you are really hurt right now…”

He continued to avoid eye contact with her. “Me? Hurt? No… I’m alright, really… so this whole Christmas thing didn’t really work out for me… no big deal…” He took another sip of the tea.

Cecilia sat beside him not saying a word. She knew in her head that he was lying, but she was struggling to find a way to get through to him.

The silence was starting to get to him. He glanced over at her once more and saw her concern. He gulped to clear the lump in his throat. He took another tiny sip of the tea. “Erm… clearly Christmas just isn’t for me… I guess it’s just not my thing…” He shrugs and looks away once again. “My treasures aren’t meant for this sort of thing… so… I guess... this holiday wasn’t meant for a Wolfskin like me…”

“Keaton… what do you think Christmas is about?...”

This query finally makes Keaton pop his head up and look at her. He stared blankly. He scratched his fur for a little bit. “Uh… I guess it’s about gifts and stuff… I dunno… Aren’t you the one who should know since you’re a Christmas expert and all?...”

She couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Presents do play a part, but there is so much more to Christmas than just that.”

He tilted his head a bit. “Really? Like what?...”

“Well Christmas may mean different things to different people. To me, it means spreading joy to those who need it. Presents are one way to do that, but company and hospitality I believe to be much stronger gifts.”

He looks at her with wide eyes. “Really? So… I guess I didn’t get this whole Christmas thing after all.” He sighed and pouted.

“Keaton, why did you want to give some of your treasures as presents? You normally are not one to give them up so easily.”

He thought to himself for a bit. “Well… I guess I just wanted to show how cool they were… I kinda figured it would make them happy…” His ears drooped down.

She smiles. “Your heart is in the right place, Keaton.”

He looked up at her still looking somewhat sad. “But… they didn’t like my treasures. Maybe… I do just mess things up…”

“Keaton, I do not like hearing you say these things about yourself. Your treasures mean a lot to you. There is nothing wrong with showing others that.” She placed a hand on Keaton’s arm. Keaton tensed a bit as he looked directly into her eyes.

“Keaton… I will not lie to you. Your treasures are not for everyone and that’s okay. You should be happy that you enjoy them. I know it hurts, but know that people still enjoy your company, Keaton… and you don’t mess things up. Just look at how many people came up to you and said how good you look today.” Her smile was so soft and kind.

Keaton welled up a little inside. His frown started to curl up a little. “Cecilia… I… I just wanna know why you love Christmas so much...”

Her smile grew bigger. “Well, we like to have fun at the Winter Festival. You might have noticed all the singing and dancing that was happening. In truth, I try not to think too hard. I just have a great time with those that are there.”

Keaton’s head tilted. “Really… that’s all there is to it… Huh... I can’t believe I didn’t think about that… Hehe, I guess I over thunk it actually.” He scratched the fur on top of his head. “It’s weird though... I never pictured you to say you don’t think too hard about something… What makes this different?...”

Cecilia reflected for a brief moment. “Keaton, I studied the Winter Festival extensively so I could teach others about it. Heroes gather here in Askr all across the realms. Despite that, I believe everyone can enjoy a festival. Even those who only know war can enjoy it. If even a moment at the festival they can smile… nothing would make me happier.”

Keaton’s eyes widened. He was starting to understand. “Oh… so… you want more people to know and celebrate Christmas… because you wanna make them happy?”

She nodded to him with a warm and passionate smile. “Yes. All the stress and troubles I believe can be put aside. At least for a little while... and we can all just have fun.”

“I… kinda get it now. It’s not about all the gifts and everything. It’s about… enjoying Christmas while it’s here and having a good time...”

“I am very happy to hear you say that, Keaton.” She patted his head softly. “Now, I completely understand if you don’t want to go back to the festival. However, it is far from over if you still wish to go.”

He thinks to himself for a minute and he throws the blanket off of himself. “I wanna go back. I think this time I’ll do a good job celebrating Christma.”

She stands up and dusts herself off and gives him a smile. “Wonderful. Shall we be on our way?”

“Erm… actually… can you sit back down… there’s… one present I haven’t given out yet…”

He rummages around underneath the bed and grabs something. He takes a seat next to her. “H-here…” Keaton is slightly trembling with the gift in his hands. “I wanted to give you this... I know it’s not my style, but… I think you will like it...” 

Cecilia grabs the gift. It’s a teddy bear. However, it is kept clean, untattered. Almost as if it hadn’t been touched by the Wolfskin. “Keaton… it’s… this is very sweet of you.” 

Keaton looks away. “Well... I clearly didn’t put any work into it. If I had it my way, it’d have all it’s stuffing hanging out with some little treasures inside it. But… you’re not that kind of person. You’re a human after all. I knew you’d wouldn’t like a messed up bear.” Keaton takes a deep breath and looks Cecilia in the eyes. 

“It’s your gift… I… I just… wanna make you happy...”

She stares at the bear silently only to then look up into Keaton’s eyes.

“I have a gift for you too, Keaton.” 

He looks at her with a blank expression. His mind races at what she might give him. Cecilia leans in closer to Keaton and gives him a little kiss on his forehead. Keaton’s eyes brighten up like lights on a Christmas tree. The rest of his body is frozen, unable to move from the shock.

“Uh…” Keaton attempts to say something, anything just to try to show any kind of response to Cecilia’s peck. His eyes shift around the room, unable to make contact with hers. Cecilia places her hand on Keaton’s thigh. The Wolfskin tenses at her touch and his tail proceeds to wag at a million miles per hour. 

“Keaton…”

He tries to make eye contact with her the best he can. 

“I appreciate the teddy bear, but you being here and me being alongside you during this Winter Festival is already gift enough. Thank you…” Cecilia gives him a nice, warm smile. 

Keaton begins to tear up at Cecilia’s kind words. In a brief moment, he pounces on her, giving her a big, tight, warm hug. “You’re such a treasure, Cecilia! I’m glad you're my gift! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” A big smile streaks across Keaton’s face as he holds on to her.

Cecilia is slightly taken back from the sudden excitement, but nonetheless shares the same smile. She softly laughs at the adorableness Keaton was showing. “I’m happy to see your spirits lifted, Keaton.”

Keaton lets go of her, slightly embarrassed of letting his joy get the best of him. “Hehe… um… I just thought what you said was really nice…” Keaton’s face is burning red.

Cecilia places her hand on his left cheek, softly stroking the x shaped scar with her thumb. “Ready to go back to the festival?”

Keaton in a flash stands right up. “Sure am! Let’s get going and have a good time, ya?”

She nods and smiles. “Absolutely.” She places her hand in his and she leads the way back to the festival. There they spent the rest of the night having a great time with the other heroes of Askr. The bright, cheery faces of all that were there made this Christmas for the both of them. Nothing could make them happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! ^^
> 
> I know I only post a fic in like a couple months at a time, but I am still grateful for all of those that take the time out of their day to read my stuff. If you like this stuff or have anything to say, feel free to tell me. I am more than happy to hear from you guys. :)


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